Google sends Street View team to map the world's tallest building

Google recently sent their Street View mapping team to Dubai to tackle the world’s tallest manmade structure - the Burj Khalifa. It marks the first time Google has captured a skyscraper using Street View and the first time Google has collected Street View imagery in the Arab World.

In a blog post on the subject, Google notes that imagery was collected over three days using the Street View Trekker and Trolley. The Trekker is a wearable backpack that’s outfitted with a camera system on the top with 15 different lenses. This allows the wearer to capture images that can later be stitched together into 360-degree panoramic views.

The Trolley, on the other hand, is a mobile cart of sorts that can be guided down hallways and is best used to capture indoor images. It was initially created to help a group of art-loving Googlers bring Street View technology to museums around the world as it could easily fit through doorways and over thresholds.

If you aren’t familiar, the Burj Khalifa serves as the centerpiece for Downtown Dubai. The $1.5 billion structure is surrounded by world-class hotels, shopping destinations and a multitude of entertainment options.

With Street View, users can now visit the opulent skyscraper’s observation deck on the 124th floor, see what it looks like to hang off one of the building’s maintenance units on the 80th floor, visit the highest occupied floor in the world on the 163rd floor and take a trip in the fastest moving elevator in the world (22 mph) – all from your computer or mobile device.